How Science Actually Works
General Learning Course
From Copernicus to Galileo's trial: how evidence beats authority, eventually.
Start here — the story
An old man kneels on a stone floor in Rome and says out loud that the Earth does not move. He is lying, everyone in the room knows he is lying, and he says it anyway. To understand why, you have to understand what it took to make evidence beat authority.
The Complete Guide to How Science Actually Works — 6 chapters, about 13 minutes. You are not expected to know anything before you start.
What you’ll be able to explain
- Explain what makes a claim scientific
- Use the Copernican story as a case study in evidence against authority
The history and philosophy of science is not assessed content on the Edexcel International GCSE science specifications, which assess experimental skills (AO3) rather than the history of scientific method.